Be careful with that one, though. Using a DD214 can be misleading, because - and I could possibly be mistaken - doesn't the DD214 only show the servicemember's last posted unit? Also, does it show MOS?

For example, I think a PFC 88M (truck driver) assigned to support an SF unit could show that, if it was his last unit before he ETS'ed, but it might not show that he was also a driver for the Schools Brigade at Benning before that.

Am I right? (Of course, the bullshidoka will have a whole slew of new excuses for why his SFAS and SFQC don't show up on his DD214...)

Minor point and don't mean to derail but it occurs to me that even the SAS have their clerks, cooks, car repairmen and postmen. I think you are alluding to this and, if so, it would seem wholly valid.

I recall a Coldstream Guards Warrant Officer (clerk) being acknowledged by a policman because he happened to be wearing a Metropolitan Police (METPOL) tie that had been given to him as a gift....so think what the charlatan could make of it. Hence the need for verifiable evidence?

A great read and excellent Index of Fallacious Arguments by BFM. Very educational.

Minor point and don't mean to derail but it occurs to me that even the SAS have their clerks, cooks, car repairmen and postmen. I think you are alluding to this and, if so, it would seem wholly valid.

Actualy thats what the [WIKI]Special Forces Support Group[/WIKI] is for, and while i'm not sure about all sections, to wear a Green (marine commandos) or Red (paras) Beret you need to have passed the same cources.

Actualy thats what the [wiki]Special Forces Support Group[/wiki] is for, and while i'm not sure about all sections, to wear a Green (marine commandos) or Red (paras) Beret you need to have passed the same cources.

There's a difference between being "Badged" and posted in as Support. I'm sure you probably know this just as there's a difference betwixt E1 and E2 employment.

We're probably on the same page but then I'm just read an email comment on AGC(SPS) and RM Cdo both wearing Green Beret. I laughed at this as I'm sure you would. There's a World of difference between an SPS clerk and an active RM Cdo (unless he's an RM Cdo Clerk, who would have done the same course).

Anyone wishing information on verification/denial of claimed military service within the US Armed Forces may contact me. I have SEVEN (7) years of experience in dealing with the subject, and authored a book on the matter.

DD-214 documentation is very easily forged... either by adding information to an existing/legitimate document, or by creating an entirely false document from "whole cloth". The only true means of verifying someone's claims of military service is by making a formal inquiry with the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. This is done using a Standard Form 180 (SF-180) available free of charge online/downloadable.

The DD-214 shows the subject's military occupational specialty (MOS) AT THE TIME OF DISCHARGE... and that sometimes changes during a person's military career. While it is unlikely that an exceptional/elite MOS will be replaced by a less elite one, it DOES happen. That's why calling for the subject's military records is advisable.

The DD-214 shows the military unit or element to which the subject was attached at the time of discharge... however, it is not uncommon for personnel from widely diverse military units to be transferred to a single command purely for the purposes of handling the administrative act of discharge. Thus someone from a SOCOM unit might have a legitimate DD-214 that lists the last command/unit as a personnel center in IOWA. Again, calling for military records from the NPRC will set this matter to rest.

BlacksmithSEAL
aka
Steve Robinson
USN 1970-1978
SEAL Team ONE
Inshore Undersea Warfare Group ONE
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Naval Special Warfare Archives - SOF Analyst/Contributing Journalist
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FORMER Special Investigator - SEAL Authentication Team
Author of the book NO GUTS, NO GLORY - Unmasking Navy SEAL Imposters

There's a difference between being "Badged" and posted in as Support. I'm sure you probably know this just as there's a difference betwixt E1 and E2 employment.

We're probably on the same page but then I'm just read an email comment on AGC(SPS) and RM Cdo both wearing Green Beret. I laughed at this as I'm sure you would. There's a World of difference between an SPS clerk and an active RM Cdo (unless he's an RM Cdo Clerk, who would have done the same course).

Every good wish

I'm far from expert, my main understanding was that to be deployed to the front line with them ment you had to have jumped the hoops. That said Marines etc, are quite possibly the excpetion and othe setions are not as restrictive. Royal Marines are part of and normally base with the navy so admin etc is probabily taken on by them (why train a RMC tooper then sit him at a desk?)

Interesting arguments, but here is the crux. Either a martial art is effective, or it is not. Fighters win or, they do not. The study of marital arts is what works in a combat situation and what does not. It is just that simple. Every thing else is a waste of time. F.